The Texas Rangers almost did it. They almost inscribed their names into the annals of history. They almost celebrated with champagne showers, raucous revelry and a triumphant parade. They almost earned the right to be called "World Champions" for a full year. Yet, "almost" is never good enough.
The Rangers came as close to winning the World Series — without actually winning the World Series — as any team in history. After a lopsided thwacking in the 2010 World Series courtesy of the San Francisco Giants, the Rangers seemed poised for sweet redemption. Up three games to two with a two−run lead, the Rangers had the St. Louis Cardinals down to their final strike. A former no−name in the midst of a breakout postseason, David Freese — ice−water (pun intended) coursing through his veins — smacked a two−run triple to send the game into extra innings.
Freese, however, was only prolonging the inevitable, because Josh Hamilton's two−run, Kirk Gibson−esque shot into the right−center bleachers in the top of the 10th gave the Rangers a seemingly insurmountable lead. Yet, in a deja vu moment that has since been seared into the minds of Rangers fans for eternity, the Rangers again blew a lead with one strike to go.
The "Cardiac Cards" won the game (Freese delivered with a walk−off homer in the 11th) and clinched their 11th World Series championship the following night. Just as it looked like Dallas could overtake Boston as Titletown, USA, the Rangers lost. Texas was left despondent: Ron Washington scratching his leathery scalp and Nolan Ryan turtling his graying head shamefully into his collar.
So the Rangers franchise still has as many World Series titles as LeBron James has NBA titles/moral scruples: none. Throughout their 51−year history, the Rangers have always come up short, further exhausting the excruciation generated by successive failures in the Fall Classic.
Immersed in a realm of enduring curses, meddling fans and infamous collapses, baseball is arguably the most drought−prone professional sport. The Chicago Cubs haven't been World Champions since 1908 and have not even competed for the Grail since World War II. In coming seasons, the Rangers could be fated for more failure and grief.
After all, the statistical chances of a team making it to the World Series three seasons in a row are slim. Plus, the Rangers have an aging squad, they have graduated or traded some of their farm talent and they have many off−season questions. Atop said list of questions is whether they can (and want to) re−sign their top starting pitcher, C.J. Wilson. Wilson has anchored the Rangers' pitching staff for the past two seasons, but he has yet to establish himself as an "ace" in the league and his postseason resume is lackluster at best.
Consistent pitching has proven itself time and again as the essential ingredient to postseason success. Don't believe me? Consider the magnitude of Game 6's postponement due to rain. The Cards earned a day of rest, allowing Chris Carpenter's bionic arm that much more time to become magically rejuvenated. Carpenter pitched a gem in Game 7, giving up only two runs in six innings of gritty work.
Not to mention, the emotional torment of an ostensibly Sisyphean pursuit can take its toll on some players. If the Rangers do manage to make it back to the World Series next season, the pressure will be firmly on their shoulders from the outset. Until then, the Rangers must not wallow in self−pity. Rather, they must look to build on their experience and fortify their pitching staff in the coming offseason.
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